Name: Chicken pastilla with freekeh and almonds
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 110 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Bake
Ingredients: 2 olive oil; 4 chicken thighs, skinned; 1 onion large brown, diced; 1 garlic cloves, minced; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 1 1/2 tsp coriander ground; 1 tsp paprika smoked; lemon zest only; dried red chilli flakes; 2 cinnamon stick; 1/4 cup freekeh wholegrain; 3/4 cup freekeh cracked; 1/2 kale shredded; 1/2 cup wine white; 1 cup passata; 3 cup stock chicken; 1/4 cup apricots Turkish; 3 cranberries; 1/2 cup almonds toasted, chopped; salt and freshly ground black pepper; 6 phyllo pastry; 3 butter melted; 1/2 tsp cinnamon ground

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Ingredients (23)

2	olive oil
4	chicken — thighs, skinned
1	onion — large brown, diced
1	garlic — cloves, minced
1 tsp	cumin — seeds
1 1/2 tsp	coriander — ground
1 tsp	paprika — smoked
	lemon — zest only
	dried red chilli flakes
2	cinnamon — stick
1/4 cup	freekeh — wholegrain
3/4 cup	freekeh — cracked
1/2	kale — shredded
1/2 cup	wine — white
1 cup	passata
3 cup	stock — chicken
1/4 cup	apricots — Turkish
3	cranberries
1/2 cup	almonds — toasted, chopped
	salt and freshly ground black pepper
6	phyllo pastry
3	butter — melted
1/2 tsp	cinnamon — ground

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Method:

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large based pan.

Season the chicken and brown until well coloured on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add a little more oil to the pan and sauté the onion until soft. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute.

Add all the spices and aromatics and toast until fragrant. (about 2-3 minutes)

Now add both freekeh grains and toast for 2 minutes to increase the nutty flavour.

Stir through the kale and fry for 2 minutes until it starts to wilt. Season with salt and pepper.

Deglaze the pan with the wine and reduce by half. Add the passata and all the chicken stock.

Return the chicken pieces to the pan. Add the apricots and cranberries.

Cover with a lid and simmer for 35-40 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the chicken is cooked through.

Remove the chicken from the pan and shred into small, bite sized pieces.

Add the chicken pieces to the freekeh and stir through the toasted almonds. Set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 200º C. Grease 23cm round springform cake tin.

Brush each sheet of filo pastry lightly with melted butter and layer up in the tin. The filo will extend over the sides of the tin, which we’ll fold in later.

Fill the pastry with the chicken filling. Fold the overlapping pastry edges in, press down lightly and brush the top with butter.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden.

Cool in the tin for about 10 minutes before un-moulding. Dust the top lightly with the cinnamon and icing sugar. Serve immediately.

Recipe reprinted with permission of Bibby’s Kitchen@36. To see more recipes, please click here.

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